Device for preventing snow-drifts.



B. F. SWEZEY. DEVICE FOR PREVENTING SNOW DRIFTS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR; 20, 1916- Patented May 23,1916.

BENJAMIN F. SW'EZEY, 0F BELLINGI-IAM, MINNESOTA.

DEVICE FOR PREVENTING SNOW-DRIFTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedMay as, 1916.

Application filed March 20, 1916. Serial No. 85,446.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. SWEznY, acitizen of the United States, residing at Bellingham, in the county ofLac qui Parle and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Devices for Preventing Snow-Drifts, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for preventing snow drifts and hasfor its principal object to provide a device that is an improvement onthe device for preventing snow drifts patented to me on June 29, 1915,#1,144,393, having novel means for more efficiently deflecting the winddownward to prevent drifting in railroad cuts, so as to blow the snowtherefrom and allow the cut to remain open to the passage of trainstherethrough at all times.

Another object of my improvement is to provide an eflicient device forpreventing snow drifts which can be constructed at relatively smallexpense and the parts of which can be more readily assembled and whichin assembled form will provide a structure that is more secure andadapted to resist the force of strong air currents.

It is further my object to provide a novel combination of parts, ashereinafter set forth.

Referring to the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of aplurality of myimproved devices as used for preventing snow drifts,illustrating the manner in which they are used in a railroad cut; Fig. 2is a front elevation of a form of my invention with the deflectingstrips positioned beneath the side beams; Fig. 3 is a side view of same;and Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the form of my invention illustratedin Fig. 1.

Like characters of reference designatelike parts throughout.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 designates the side beams, which aresupported by a plurality of anchor posts 2. These anchor posts 2 areadapted to be positioned within the ground so as to extend for aconsiderable distance above the upper surface of the ground and extendin parallel planes to each other. The posts 2 are rigidly secured tomembers 1 in any suitable manner, as

shown. When in use the snow drift preventer will extend in substantiallythe same plane as the side of the cut so as to cause the forward end ofthe snow drift Preventer to be considerably lower than its rear end.

"In the form of my invention illustrated in Figs. 1 and 4 each beam 1 isprovided with a plurality of notched'portions 3, adapted to receive thesubstantially parallel defleeting strips 4 which are disposed in adownwardly slanting position relative to the lower surface of the sidebeams, at an angle in vicinity of degrees with the horizontal when thedevice is in operation. Adjacent to the upper edges of deflecting strips4, I provide deflecting strips 5 disposed parallel with beams 1, toextend the current deflecting surface and to provide a less abruptdeflectin g means in combination with the adj acent deflecting strips 4,to give a more efficientwind deflecting surface, whereby 'a moreefi'ective wind current is directed through the railroad cut to preventdrifting therein. I provide strips 6 mounted over the deflecting strips5 and secured to beams 1 to provide a more rigid structure to resist theforce of wind currents. I further pro vide a base plate 8 secured to theinclined portions 7 of beams 1, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, to turn thewind directly on the rail or toward the end of the tires. This iseffective in preventing drifting of sand.

In the form of my invention shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the purposes of thestructure are the same as that disclosed in the device illustrated inFigs. 1 and 4, the form shown in Figs. 2 and 3 being designed to providea less expensive construction which will at the same time eflicientlyprevent drifting of snow, etc., in railroad cuts. Deflecting strips 5and 4 are mounted underneath instead of on the upperside of beams 1,eliminating the notched portions thereof. Members 4 are secured directlyto anchor posts 2 and to 0p-. 'posite depending arms 9, as shown in Fig.3.

What I claim is:

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of a plurality ofside members, a plurality of deflecting strips extending from one sidemember to the other and arranged in pairs, each pair being spaced apartfrom the others and positioned to deflect air currents downward througha railroad cut to prevent drifting thereon.-

2. In a device of the class described, the combination of a plurality ofside members, posts supporting the side members and carrying same in adesired slanting position, a series of wind deflecting strips arrangedin pairs and mounted on the side members, one of the deflecting stripsof each pair being combination of side members, posts support- 'ingsame, substantially parallel deflecting strips arranged in pairs andspaced one;pair apart from the next, one of the deflecting strips ineachpalr being disposed in parallel relation to the side members and theother deflecting strip of each pair being disposed in a downwardlyextending relation to the side members, and means for supporting thelatter deflecting strips in a downwardly eX- tending relation tothe sidemembers and at an obtuse angle relative to its companion deprevent thedrifting ofsnow and sand'in railroad cuts, substantially as set forth.

BENJAMIN F. SWEZEY; Witnesses: f LEONARD L. STROUSS,

EDWARD KOTTKE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five centseach, byad'dressing' the Gommissionerof Patents, Washington, D. 0.

fleeting strip, and a deflecting strip extending between the lower endsof theside members to guide the air currents, whereby to It is herebycertified. that in Letters Patent No. 1,184,046, granted May 23, 1916,

upon the application of Benjamin F. Swezey, of Bellingham, Minnesota,for an improvement in Devices for Preventing SnoW-Drifts, an errorappears in the printed specification requiring correction Q as follows:Page 1, line 82, for the Word tires read ties; and that the said LettersPatent should be read with this correction therein that the same mayconform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 24th day of October, A. D., 1916. i [SEAL-1 F. W.H. CLAY,

Acting Commissioner of Patents.

